Dickey, William Malcolm

▪ 1994

      ("BILL"), U.S. baseball player (b. June 6, 1907, Bastrop, La.—d. Nov. 12, 1993, Little Rock, Ark.), was the outstanding catcher (1928-41) for the star-studded New York Yankees professional baseball teams that reigned seven times as World Series champions during their heyday in the 1920s and '30s, and he later briefly served as the team's manager and as a coach. Dickey's invaluable and wide-ranging knowledge of opposing batters; powerhouse hitting; ability to pull in knuckleballs, fastballs, and spitballs from pitchers; and top-notch defensive play earned him laurels as perhaps the best all-around catcher in the history of the sport. In 1929, a year after joining the Yankees, he became the starting catcher (throwing right-handed) and one of the most feared clutch hitters (batting left-handed). During his remarkable career, Dickey caught more than 100 games a season 13 times and compiled a .313 batting average with 202 home runs and 1,209 runs batted in. He was behind the plate for every inning of his 38 World Series games and had a series average of .400 (.438 in the 1932 series). After serving in the navy during World War II, Dickey returned to the Yankees in 1946 and replaced the ailing Joe McCarthy as manager for the remainder of that season. More comfortable as a coach (beginning in 1949), Dickey helped develop the skills of a struggling Yankee rookie catcher, Yogi Berra. Dickey later served as scout (1959-60) for the Yankees before retiring to sell securities in Little Rock, an occupation he continued until 1977. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954.

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